Mystic Grove
by Pugnacious Peace
Summary: My name is Princess Astradia, named after the God of Peace, Strad. He was one of three who brought peace back to our lands, though at a great and terrible price. Strad had abandoned his siblings - Mellohi and Stal - for a time, leaving them to fight for the humans and elves on their own, desperate to bring peace back to their lands. When Strad returned, with him came the Ash.
1. Prologue: The Ash

**It's been a while. By that, I mean I've been a lazy woman. Apologies for that. Hopefully I can actually finish this one! I'm kind of excited for this one, and I hopefully will not have too many major issues with doing this. It was originally written during 1.4.7, but will easily move forward. New mods will be added into the story, I'm sure, but for now the only ones mentioned are Biomes O' Plenty and Tropicraft. I will let you know if/when I mention a different mod. Forgive the spelling errors you may find; I'll correct them as I see them. Like my other Minecraft fan-fictions this will be realistic. Well, realistic for a fantasy. Hope you enjoyed this so far, and I'll see you in the first chapter!**

**~-Ari**

_Years ago, not too long, there was a war. It was a war fought by my grandfather and his grandfather... perhaps even __**his**__ grandfather. Centuries and centuries it lasted, staining the grounds on which we'd once lived with red._

_Nobody can recall for certain what had started the Bloody War. Some say it was over a royal family - others argue it was over space and food._

_Regardless, humans and elves have lived in peace for a while now. My father brought me into a peaceful land. At least... a __**relatively** peaceful land._

_Perhaps I should elaborate._

_My name is Princess Astradia, named after the Great God of Peace, Strad. He was one of three who brought peace back to our lands, though at a great and terrible price. He and his brother and sister, Stal and Mellohi, had joined together to rescue their creations at the height of the War. Pleading and arguing with the Council on both sides did nothing - all it accomplished was a heightened sense of anger and urgency, blood lust rising within the armies._

_Strad had abandoned his siblings for a time, leaving them to fight the humans and elves on their own, desperate to bring peace back to their lands._

_When Strad returned, with him came the Ash._

_The Ash had been in stories from the dawn of our people, when the first man and woman of each tribe awoke on a beautiful planet. In their minds was planted knowledge of the dangers the Gods could bring upon the land, a veiled threat in favor of peace. It was written in the Books, rewritten dozens of times over the years as parchment became damaged._

_The Ash was, to put it simply, a plague. Disease and death would only be the beginning - those who survived, the Undead would haunt. Unnatural creatures rose from the depths of the Underworld itself, reaching through the void and taking hold of the Terra Firma of our world, all too willing to destroy what we had created._

_Strad had given us an ultimatum, that day. Live together... or die together._

_We, naturally, banded together in tragedy and fear. The Gods taught us magic and defense, aiding us in the War as moral support - they could not meddle into our affairs any longer, as they had done more than enough damage._

_We battled against the threats that swarmed us, outnumbering us by the thousands._

_But we did not give in._

_Despite the fact that so many had perished, the Ash was driven back by our forces, appalled by the strength and love at which they'd stood up against. Pride in our homeland had swelled the day Strad had announced our victory._

_But a consequence came that not even the Gods had anticipated._

_Though the Ash had been driven away, the effects still remained. The rifts between our world and the thousands of others had opened up when Strad had brought the Ash into existence. In the terror the Ash had left behind, such emotion fueled the stronger enemies to bleed into our world._

_During the day, only a select few monsters roam the lands, the most common being things dubbed as 'Creepers', and giant spiders capable of dissolving the very ground you walk on, should it see fit. At night... at night, the terrors truly begin. Animate bones stalk through the trees, wielding bows with seemingly infinite arrows. Groaning undead roam the forests and plains, desperate for flesh. Tall black figures, far too tall to be a natural being of our lands, appear and disappear at random, leaving behind only purple flakes of dust and streaks of red where they'd once stood. They take fistfuls of things from every which way, be it wood or dirt or anything in between, a disappear without a trace. If one looks at them, they stare straight at you with menacing purple eyes, quaking and growling like a rabid mutt. Never __**ever** look at them - and if you do, never look away until you are safely inside. From there, pray that they do not follow you._

_The Gods were not able to banish these creatures. Strad had attempted to do so, but he had been severely weakened to the point of collapse, and still not a change had occurred._

_Since our home was filled with these creatures, we ran from it in hopes that the numbers would be lesser with distance. We were correct in this assumption - from the forests and the deserts we roamed, leaving our precious Gardens and Extreme Hills we'd come to love._

_We attempted to settle within the Mushrooms but in time it quickly proved to be a terrible idea. Something in the soil was bringing poisoned food into our lives. Yet again we were uprooted, fleeing the lands with a dark shadow looming on our heels. All the while the three Celestials followed us, running at the same pace as us, desperate to bring us safety. Mellohi and Stal had managed to keep the creatures at bay long enough to allow Strad to lead us into a beautiful land, filled with blue trees and sparkling, glowing flowers. It didn't take long before we realized that this was to be our next home._

_My family built a home in the trees, overlooking the ocean by which we'd decided to live. A dock was built to fish, a farm created just outside our doors. Fish were caught and placed in our pool to be eaten at a later date, in particular Marlin. Marlin became our main food source, where humans left to live in a neighboring land, the Maple Forests. Red and Blue, we were._

_Each race divided into two - some elves left for the cherried lands, filled with blossoms of the same name. Half of the humans ended up in a land much like our old forests. We were prepared to spread our kind across the planet, so desperate to preserve our species. Our land here in the Blue Forests, it has been decided that leaves painted the same colors as the four Homelands were to be placed around the base of the tree: Red, orange, blue, and pink. A fountain was placed nearby as well, the naturally purple water flowing inside multicolored leaves, symbolizing our new found hope and freedom. Stal and Mellohi returned with few battle scars, calling their brother home._

_But going 'home' in the Heavens was not so easy._

_Stal had fallen in love with a young human girl, where Strad had become enamored with an elven male. Mellohi herself had a lover in the Heavens, waiting on her return._

_Despite it being a selfish action, both Strad and Stal made their lovers immortal. Both of them live in the same places they had for nearly one hundred and fifty years. Stal's lover, Tarryn, has departed for the forests of Pink. She had been nicknamed 'Chirp' for her love of birds. However, Strad's mate, Varen, remained in the blue forests with my family. He had been nicknamed 'Ward' for a reason unknown to the rest of us - Strad had named him, and Varen rarely goes by anything else._

_However, there is still __**one** other thing I've forgotten to mention._

_As the story goes... I am Strad's Great Daughter, made of stars and wind, placed in my mother's womb to carry on Strad's legacy. There is no real proof to that claim, but... it's a nice thought. Varen in particular feels as if I am part of him. "I can feel it" he always says. He's a kind man, but sometimes he is a little worrying._

_My father is dying, currently... and I am to take over for him when he passes._

_This Blue Forest has never had a name aside from that - but I had a dream just the other night._

_I think... I think it is called the Mystic Grove._


	2. Chapter One: Ward

**And we finally begin!**

**EDIT AUGUST 29TH 2013: Sorry guys, I had to redo this chapter. I hated just looking at it, nothing went the way I'd planned and it made it impossible to continue on. Pretty much everything has been changed; apologies for the confusion. So let's try this again, yeah?**

**Mod list: **

**Tropicraft**

**Biomes o' Plenty**

**~-Ari**

_Chapter One_

_Ward_

_Far beyond the stars, darkness conceals the ephemeral shapes in the skies, human-like eyes watching their creations strive to grow as a society. They are different from us – rather, we are different than them – but they had molded us. Humans took the Gods' likenesses more than we Elves, but unlike the others I hold no grudge. Really we haven't much to fight about. We are all children of Strad, in the end, regardless of skin color or frame. _

_I only wish I could remain here for the remainder of my seemingly endless life. I know my end will come eventually, but in the form of a handsome God wearing a slightly familiar face. He was a stranger to me, to all of us, but so warm. Our shield. We've lived in peace, since his first descent; feuds between ourselves and the humans still break out, but they are admittedly far less frequent than the time of my growing up. I must say, I will miss the amethyst waters of the shores, the sparkling blue of the leaves falling from the trees. A truly magical land, to be certain. Though the Elves hold a much more vast knowledge of magic, this section of our planet is... remarkable. _

_Ah... as always, it seems I'm rambling. I do that far too often. I suppose I've simply... lived too long. I have far too many stories to tell, but no voice to tell them. Not really. My tongue has been tied by Strad himself since the day he kissed me. I assure you, this is far less romantic than it sounds. He will not allow me to speak in a more direct manner. If I should attempt to do so, I am unable to speak at all. He apologizes to me in my dreams, but sometimes I am not sure if it is him at all or simply my imagination running away without me again. _

_Dreams seem to be the most powerful gateway... we are so vulnerable as we sleep, open to any and all attacks. The shadows could creep into our beds and would would never know until the cold tendrils of death seeped into our flesh. It leaves our minds so open, a vast plane of reality where nothing is real but for just one moment, we imagine everything that could never be... and we don't know otherwise until we awaken. Perhaps that is why the Gods had given us the ability to dream._

_Every so often, just as yesterday turns and the pattern begins again, I see his face. He is blurry, as if were staring at him throw water. He rippled and shook, but his lips moved. Soft and cold, tender and spiteful. He was a bundle of contradiction, that Strad, but I suppose I would not have him any other way. When he spoke, his words would never reach me until the sun had already risen. An echo, a brief sound before it is gone. Warnings would be sent through me, but there had never been an option to pass them along. I wonder if perhaps this was my punishment for seducing a God? It had been the other way around, but it would not surprise me if that sly creature had managed to turn the tables on me yet again. _

_Last night, he sent another warning. And this afternoon, I received it. It was vague, even to me. There was a tremble in his whispering voice, just crossing the lowest threshold of my hearing abilities. The fear was quite real to me. I did not need to see his eyes to know that something was coming, and it was something that even the Gods feared. If he were afraid of it, what hope did we, mere mortals on Terra, have?_

_Well... we do have _one_. His message had been vague enough. My tongue has not been tied upon speaking it aloud to my wall, but I couldn't bear to think what would happen should the Elder hear of this. _

"_Ward. The clouds have come. Gather the child_."


End file.
